


Just A Fuse Box

by Mark432



Category: Touhou Project
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Diamond in the Rough (Touhou), Fix-It, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:28:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27283420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mark432/pseuds/Mark432
Summary: Diamond in the Rough is a miserable tale of honest mistakes, plus a rather horrendous version of Gensokyo. But in one universe, the story ends on a happier note. Diamonds were overrated to begin with, anyways.
Kudos: 2





	Just A Fuse Box

Once, there was a Gappy Stu named Victor Chaos, also known as Vic.

He was invited to Gensokyo for a reason.

His classmate was causing trouble for the residents, and he was told that his help was need to stop the disaster.

It didn't go well.

* * *

Vic had a classmate named Brolli Diamondback.

Brolli was a decent kid, if a bit shallow and self-centered.

He was the sort of person who believed that a man is defined by his possessions, which obviously isn't true, especially if you're one of the people who have seen Spaztique's Diamond in the Rough (Touhou).

Vic heavily disagreed with this destructive mindset, and he always made this clear whenever the two spoke.

And every time, Brolli would laugh off Vic's warnings, and the cynical part of Vic's brain had already written Brolli off a lost cause, doomed to repeat the same mistakes that he had once made.

* * *

But one time, Brolli seemed a bit mellow.

Out of the corner of Vic's eye, Brolli had taken off his hat, and he had quietly stared at it for a full minute.

He placed the hat on his desk, and began to walk out of the classroom.

Vic picked the hat up and tried to return it to its owner, but Brolli refused.

"I don't need it anymore." said the Gappy Stu.

* * *

On one lazy afternoon, Vic was walking home from school.

He would have passed by Brolli's house with little fanfare, as their neighborhood was a quiet one.

But then, he heard the ominous sound of a fuse box, the sound that had nearly driven him to insanity.

Vic's mind told him to run away and never look back.

That sound had brought him nothing but pain and misery, and there was a good chance that Brolli was already too far gone to be helped.

He almost did run away, but then, Vic stopped himself.

He had acted rashly in Gensokyo because he wanted to make a difference, and when he had made a horrible mistake, he had vowed to dedicate himself to being better.

What sort of friend would he be if he didn't take the chance to reach out to Brolli, slim though it might be?

But as Vic wasted precious seconds wrestling with himself, the sound faded, and the neighborhood became silent once more.

Vic sadly turned away, full of disappointment in Brolli and himself, but then… the door opened.

* * *

Brolli was carefully holding his pet cat in his arms, and he had a remorseful expression on his face.

"Brolli? I thought…" Vic muttered.

"Hm?" Brolli asked, tilting his head.

"I…" Vic was stunned. He knew exactly that sound had meant, and yet Brolli was still in his house, as though nothing had happened.

"It's nothing." Vic deflected.

"Hm. I see. Well, you'll be happy to know that I figured out where that sound was coming from." said Brolli.

Vic froze.

"It was a fuse box."

Vic did a double take at that. He opened his mouth to start shouting out of fear and indignation, but then, he got a good look at Brolli's expression.

There were dark circles under Brolli's eyes. His arms were shaking, and he had a rather thin smile on his face.

"It was just a fuse box. Nothing more."

The two teens shared a long, silent look.

And then, Vic took a deep breath.

He wasn't sure how, but it appeared as if Brolli had somehow managed to break the curse of the Gappy Stu.

Vic didn't know how, and he didn't know why.

This shouldn't even have been possible.

The fantasy land was a trap meant for the most selfish, gullible, and hopeless people in the world.

And yet, Vic's eyes weren't deceiving him.

Torn between offering words of compassion and walking away quietly, Vic felt his stomach rumbling.

"I… do… you… want to get some lunch?" Vic asked.

Perking up slightly, Brolli nodded, gently setting the cat down.

"Sure. Just need to feed Cat Beast first. Give me a second."

As Brolli stepped inside his house, Vic couldn't help but wonder if he was dreaming, for this outcome was almost too good to be true.

But when Brolli stepped outside again with a big smile and a bright shimmer in his eyes, Vic couldn't help but smile in turn.

The two kids began walking down the road, pushing aside the issue of fantasy for another day, and another story.

* * *

When you think about it, some things… just aren't worth worrying about.

The real world is what you make of it.

Sometimes, a fuse box is… just a fuse box.

And that's all.


End file.
